Device for operating car couplers



June 15 1926. 1,588,697

c. D. BONSALL DEVICE FOR OPERATING CAR COUPLERS Original Filed 0th 24,1924 fnvenzon- Patented June 15, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT or-rice,

CHARLES DAVID BorisALL', or, new emi ants fennii'syiivnnm; assigns? rrovUNION METAL rnonucirs contain, or CHICAGb, ILmNoIs; A coerce-Anon OFDELAWARE.

Original application filed October 24,

This particular invention relates to what 1s generally known in the artas a rotat ng type of uncoupling device tor car couplers and comprisesan operating rod revolubly and provided with a tail behind which thelock is placed; The lock litter protrudes through and above the couplerhead and is provided with'a horizontally positioned eye. This locklifter eye is 1 in diameter and its axis is perpendicular to thelongitudinal center of the car. This size and position has beendeterminedby the American Railroad Association and is standard for themajority of couplers now in service.

My invention resides in the connection between the eye on the crank ofthe operating rod and the eye on the coupler lock litter. When thehandle is raised the rod is revolved and the crank is thereby raisedwhich unlocks the coupler by raising the lock litter. Y The couplermoves and draft and also moves sidewise in roundmg curves, etc., and theconnection between the coupler and the operating rod must per mit suchmovements Without the component dependent of the operatingrod. Thisallowsthe operating rod to fall closeto the-lock lifter. Toaccommodatesueh a vmovement the connection between the operating rodcrank and thecoupler niust fore-shorten, which is accomplished-bymaking. it f eabackwa'rdly and for war'dly longitudinally of the car inbufling sion.

DEVICE FOR OPERATING CAR COUPLERS.

eral parts which collapse means of a ihlnge oint or a sliding connectionto each other, or, as in my design, the component parts arepivotally andslidablyconnected.

The operatingrod, as above described, is old and in use on hundreds ofthousands of cars now in existence. Such rods had a short chainconnecting the crankarm to the lock litter of the coupler which chainsproved unsatisfactory and were responsible for a little more thanhaltofthedeiects for un couplingmechanisms reported by the InterstateCommerce ,Go'mniis'sion These chains were defective because they werebroken, missing, kinked and either too long or too short; 4 p v 7 One ofthe objects of. this invention is to provide a connection betweenthe rodand the coupler which will eliminate the defects of the old chain andmeet all service. conditions required; I p p p These short chains werebroken'by falling behind the coupler horn andbein g smashed 1e24, SerialNo. 745,635. Divided and this application filed April 13, 1925. SerialNo. 22,668.

betweenthe coupler horn and the striking I casting by impact of thecarsin coupling. The device 1s des gned so that the component parts cannotbGCO'IHQCllSCOllIlGCtGCl from each other or from the operating rod orthe he simply guessed as to theiamount of chain required and applied itto the car, which accounts for the number of ,too long and too shortchains reported by the commis- Thisis not possible with my device. iAnother ob'ject'is to provide a connection which may be hooked into the.eyeof the:

coupler lock lifter with the hooked member connected to the crank of theoperating rod by another m'emberflwhichpermits to adapt itselfto thevarious service movements of the coupler but PFBYGHIQSi t fIOID becomingdisengaged from the lock lifter in service I r c. p

Another object of theinvention is to provide a device wherein thecomponent parts are identical and duplicates,- therefore,interchangeable. Duplication, ofvcourse, also simplifies manufacture,handling, account:

Another object of the invention is to'provide a device which can beassembled at the point of manufacture and shipped as a unit to the pointof application to a car and which can be applied to the car by a verysimple operation which requires no special tools or appliances.

Another object is to obtain a device wherein the component parts areduplicates so that they cannot be wrongfully applied to the car or toeach other.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a car with my inventionapplied thereon. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the connector.

Fig. 3 is a side view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of modification of Figs. 2 and 3 with a slidableconnection.

ig. 5 is a side view of Fig. i.

Fig. 6 is a pair of members per Figs. 4 and 5 in assembled openposition.

Fig. 7 is the modification per Figs. 4 and 5 in partially collapsedposition and also shows the slida'ble connection between the pairs ofmembers.

Fig. 8 is a modification wherein the axes of the eyes of the connectorare perpendicular to the axes of the pivots (or pivot).

Fig. 9 is a side view of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a pair of members per Figs. 8 and 9 in assembled openposition.

In a railway car the operating rod 1 is mounted on the end still 2 bybrackets 3. The usual operating rod had a handle 41- and a crank arm 5which arm has a horizontally disposed eye 6. The lock lifter 7 of thecoupler 8 also has a horizontally disposed eye 9 and my inventionresides in a connector for these two mentioned eyes.

The device com-prises two pairs of complementary hooked and preferablyduplicate members. The members of each pair are shaped to be positionedopposite each other to form a closed eye. I

The pairs of members are pivoted together by a separate means (20) thanthe means (2-1) which connect the two pairs of members together. Theconnection 21 performs the further function of retaining the members inthe position forming a. closed eye. In this construction shown in Figs.2 and 3 the members are provided with round holes so that the pairs ofmembers are pivoted together, while in Figs. 4 to 7,"inelusive, themembers are provided with elongated holes 27 so that the pairs ofmembers are slidably, as well as, pivotally connected together. Figs. 6and 7 show how the component parts collapse and slide relative to eachother so that the connection may accom'modate service conditions.

The pairs of members are opened up scissor "fashion, as shown in Figs. 6(and 10) for connection to the crank arm 5 and lock lifter 7respectively, and then both 1 1,5se,e97

perpendicular to the aXis of the pivot 25 instead of parallel therewith;The hinge or pivot action of the two arrangements are in vertical planesat right angles to each other. I

This construction may be provided with a slotted hole (26), as shown, ora round hole, as shown in Fig.2.

All four component parts are preferably identical.

This is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 745,635,filed October 24, 1924.

I claim:

1. A connector for a railway car couplerv and its operating rod,comprising two pairs of complementary members, each pair ofcomplementary members pivotally connectedto move opposite each other toform a closed eye, and separate means to pivotally connect said pairs ofmembers.

2. A connector for a railway car coupler I and its operating rod,comprising two pairs of con'iplementary members, each pair ofcomplementary members pivotally connected to move opposite each other tofrom a closed eye, and separate means to slidably connect said pairs ofmembers.

3. A connector for a railway car coupler,

and its operating rod, comprising two pairs of complementary members,each pair of complen'ientary members pivotally connected to moveopposite each other to form.

a closed eye and separate means to pivotally and slidably connect saidpairs of members.

i. A'connector for a railway. car coupler and its operating rod,comprising two pairs of members, each member having a hook at one endand a hole at its opposite end, each pair comprising two such membersindependently pivotally connected to move opposite each other to formclosed eyes at the opposite end of the connector, a pin rotativelyengaging all of said holes, andvmeans to hold said pin inplace.

5. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod,comprising two pairs of members, each member having a hook at one endand an elongated hole at its opposite end, each pair comprising two suchmembers independently pivotally connected to move opposite each other toform closed eyes at the opposite ends of the connector, 2. pinrotatively engaging all of said holes, and

means to hold said pin in place. I

6. A connector for arailway car couplerand its operating rod, comprisingtwo duplicate pairs of members, each member having a hook at one end andan elongated hole at its opposite end, each pair comprising two suchmembers independently pivotally connected to move opposite each other toform closed eyes at the opposite end of the connector, a pin rotativelyengaging all of said holes, and means to hold said pin in place.

7. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod,comprising two pairs of complementary members, each pair ofcomplementary members pivotally connected to move opposite each other toform a closed eye, and separate means to pivotally connect said pairs ofmembers, said means also retaining said members in the position formingclosed eyes. 1

S. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod,comprising four identical members, which are secured together to formtwo pairs of complementary members, each pair of complementary memberspivotally connected to move opposite each other to form a closed eye,and separate means to connect said pairs of members.

9. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod,comprising four identical members, which are secured together to formtwo pairs of complementary members, each pair of complementary memberspivotally connected to move opposite each other to form a closed eye,and separate means to connect said pairs of members, which means alsoretains said members in the position forming closed eyes. 7

10. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod,comprisingtwo pairs of complementary members, each pair of complementarymembers pivotally connected to move opposite each other to form a closedeye, and a separate pivot having its axis normal to the axes of theclosed eyes pivotally connecting said pairs of members.

11. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod,comprising two pairs of complementary members, each pair ofcomplementary members pivotally connected to move opposite each other toform a closed eye, and a separate pivot having its axis normal to theaXes of the closed eyes slidably connecting said pairs of members.

12. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod,comprising two pairs of complementary members, each; pair ofcomplementary members pivotally connected to move opposite each other toform a closed eye, and a separate pivot having its axis normal to theaxes of the closed eyes pivotally connecting said pairs of members, saidpivot also retaining said members in the position forming closed eyes. 7

13. In a railwaycar, the combination of an operating rod mounted uponthe car having a horizontally disposed eye, a coupler with a lock lifterhaving a horizontally disposed eye, a connector therefor comprising twopairs of complementary members, each pair of complementary memberspivotally connected to move opposite each other to form a closed eye,and a separate pivot connecting said pairs of members, said closed eyesforming engagements to the lock lifter eye and operating rod eye,respectively.

14. In a railway car, the combination of an operating rod mounted uponthe car having a horizontally disposed eye, a coupler with a lock lifterhaving a horizontally disposed eye, a connector therefor comprising twopairs of complementary members, each pair of complementary memberspivotally I connected to move opposite each other to form a closed eye,and a separate pivot having its axis normal to the axes of the closedeyes connecting said pairs of members, said closed eyes formingengagements to the lock lifter eye and operating rod eye, respectively.

CHARLES DAVID BONSALL.

